Accused Cop Killer Tells NYPD: ‘I Panicked’ (VIDEO)

The man accused of shooting and killing a veteran NYPD officer at point-blank range in December said in videotaped statements obtained exclusively by NBC New York that he pulled the trigger by accident, explaining: “I was so nervous and I panicked.”

The videos are the first time the public is hearing from accused gunman Lamont Pride about the shooting. In them, he also told prosecutors he wants a break on prison time for telling them what he knows.

“The reason I decided to come forward with everything is I need to help myself out of this situation,” Pride says in the video. “I’m not gonna get out of it. I know I’m gonna do some type of crime. I’m not trying to do the max.”

Pride is accused of shooting 22-year veteran officer Peter Figoski after a drug deal went bad in East New York. His attorney declined to comment about the videotaped statements.